Ghosts of Dragons
by SamusX10
Summary: A glitch in the system brings back an old prodigy from the Pokemon League's shady past. What is happening to his partners, and why is the league intent on stopping him?
1. Across the Bridge

Ghosts of Dragons

**A/N; **I did this one about a year ago. Originally meant to be a short fic, I started expanding it in my mind and adding more plot to it until I had a full story set up. I expect to have this one finished around august (and this is the first time I'm setting myself a deadline, so you know I mean it). This was a clearly different style of writing than my normal stuff, so comment and let me know what you think.

* * *

It was almost always raining near the weather institute. Angela rode her bicycle through the downpour on her way back to Fortree City. The sun had gone down only minutes ago and the orange glow still hinted daylight across the horizon. Lightning struck every few seconds in the distance.

Angela's Persian and Sceptile were exhausted. They had spent most of the afternoon out looking for Feebas, but instead had found only Carvanha and Tentacool in the nearby river, with an occasional Magikarp. She wasn't interested in any of them.

Carvanha evolved into Sharpedo, which although fast and powerful, was severely lacking in stamina, and had the risk of fainting against any attack with moderate force. No, Sharpedo wouldn't fit in her team at all. Tentacool were another speedy water-type, but they had little to no attack power, and relied solely on their ability to withstand attacks with moves like Barrier and Light Screen. Magikarp had potential when evolving into Gyarados, but the waiting-period for the evolution wasn't worth it in her opinion. She would much rather go for the fourth option.

Feebas evolved into the majestic pokemon, Milotic. It had speed, considerable attack power, and stamina to boot. It was everything she could ever want! Feebas also mysteriously evolved through the use of pokeblocks. If you fed a Feebas lots of Blue pokeblocks, it would evolve into Milotic in a matter of hours.

"_Then I'll show Trent and his fire-types just how good a trasiner I can be…" _Angela thought to herself as she crossed the last bridge before Fortree's city limits.

She saw lightning strike up ahead in the distance. As the flash illuminated the bridge up ahead she could see people. There was a large group together on the far end of the bridge facing a lone figure. She could feel tension between them as she got nearer, and the echo of voices became distinct.

"… don't care who you are or where you came from, but you have a lot to answer for, kid! That box had plenty of valuable stuff in it, and we intend to get it back!" shouted a voice from the mob of shadows.

_A thief?_ She considered. After all, thievery was common in the Hoenn region, more recently than ever.

The figure replied. It was a boy's voice, and even though she couldn't hear what was said, the reaction from the crowd wasn't pleasant.

"You wanna try taking on all of us?" One of them shouted out. The man's friends laughed aloud and drew from their belts pokeballs.

Angela stopped her bicycle and dismounted. She couldn't afford to get near a battle with her pokemon in the condition they were in. She backed away a few paces before stopping and focusing on the situation again. The boy had made another response, reaching for his belt and removing a single round sphere from it's slot. He held it out for the crowd to see, challenging them.

They seemingly flinched, but threw their pokeballs anyway. There were dozens of flashes as the balls struck the ground and creatures took shape on the bridge between the boy and the gang. Angela could see Aggron and Blaziken among the mass of pokemon that had been released to attack the boy. The Aggron's armor was tough and thick, able to withstand most attacks head-on. A Rhyhorn charging at full speed would have a hard time making an Aggron loose an inch of ground without resorting to non-physical attacks. Blaziken were a different story, they were fast and agile, and didn't need heavy defenses like Aggron because of their speed and powerful limbs.

These guys were serious. Angela was completely out of her league with this mob. She looked back at the boy and felt a little sorry for him.

The boy tossed his pokeball, to the bridge, and with a flash a snake-like creature formed. Blue scales and a yellow underbelly wove through the air towards the group of trainers. Angela saw that it was a Gyarados- but, something seemed wrong with it. As the red-light of it's release dimmed, it's outline almost seemed to... _distort._ She could see faint flashes of green light underneath it's scales.

**I don't have time for this, **she heard the boy now, clearly, almost as if he was standing right beside her. The voice was crisp and sharp. **Gyarados, use Draco Meteor.**


	2. Onward

Gyarados built up the energy for the attack, released it, and was gone, leaving behind a flash of green light as it withdrew into it's Pokeball. It took only a moment for the energy to reach the opposite side of the bridge where it's opponents lay. When it did, they were no longer there. Upon closer examination of the charred bridge, one could almost make out the light shadows of what had been people and pokemon, twisted and writhing for a moment in time.

From her hiding place, Angela could see the boy holding the Pokeball in the palm of his hand, but there was something wrong with it. It shook and emitted a series of sparks, then after a time, the shaking subsided and it was calm. The boy drew a visible sigh, then continued on to Fortree. Leaving behind the still smoking remains of what had been the mob. The rain continued to pour down, and eventually even the ashes were washed away.

_That attack... what was it?_

She had never seen anything that powerful in her two years of training on the road. She'd seen at least two Gyarados before, she'd even witnessed a Hyper Beam attack from one of them, but never with the intensity she'd just seen. _Draco Meteor... _she'd have to remember that one. Angela hid for no less than five full minutes. Mauville was a full day's trek in the other direction, and in her current condition, her Pokemon wouldn't manage to survive the trek back without suffering. She would have to push forward.

* * *

Gyarados had _shaken_. None of the dragons had shook in months. Not since seeing Emiryl in Sinnoh. He sat outside the pokemon center and considered for a moment. Celestic town, despite being the epicenter of legendary phenomena, was out of the question for the time-being. He couldn't go there until he was certain of what was happening. He decided Snowpoint would have to do. He called out _Empi_, his Aerodactyl, and flew off.

* * *

The pokemon center was mostly empty, save for two or three other trainers, which meant the rooms upstairs would be available. She picked up her room key and made her way up to her room. Releasing her Persian and Sceptile as she entered, she flopped herself onto her bed. Persian curled up beside her, while Sceptile made itself a small nest in the corner of the room. All three of them were asleep within ten minutes, unaware of the massive behemoth circling the city above.


	3. Nostalgia

Ethan was noted as being an exceptional trainer, having raised his first pokemon, a Squirtle, into a powerful Blastoise in no less than a week. Concerned media affiliates had confirmed that the Blastoise had not been treated with any substances or chemicals to induce premature evolution, it had simply evolved of it's own volition. This revelation had caused much controversy in the field of evolution, as it was still believed that Pokemon were not capable of evolving simply out of willpower. His Blastoise was noted as being more powerful than others, even of the same level, easily capable of overpowering even pokemon with type advantages. The case was slowly forgotten as Ethan's Blastoise was used less and less frequently as he traveled, until other stories had soon replaced it. Tales of adventures under the island of Cinnibar, of un-named pokemon killings in the Safari Zone, and of a Pokemon locked in the Mountains of Cerulean soon swept the media, and Ethan was free to withdraw into his own life once again. He had been no younger than eleven when the attention had finally shifted away from him.

Years passed, and he quietly kept to his own studies, traveling Kanto and collecting pokemon. He never took an interest in the League, despite having been personally approached by Lorelei of the Elite Four, who even five years later, had kept a keen interest in his doings. Her Lapras had fallen to his Vaporeon, and she had praised him for his skill. He became known as the uncrowned champion of Kanto.

At the age of fifteen, trainers could no longer find him. League officials and gym leaders alike took note of his disappearance, but it was known that any instance of his appearance was to be reported. A year later, the fires of the Twin Towers of Ecruteak were said to have been stopped by a youth matching Ethan's description. The monks of the Bellsprout Tower were dispatched to ascertain any truth to the matter. They returned with no information on Ethan, but their Victreebell and Vileplume were severely injured after having discovered three _beasts_ in the ruins of the tower. After the incident, Ethan was listed as being '_missing_' in the trainer registry.

Angela knew none of this. The registry building had been renovated twelve years later, and his file had disappeared.

He had not been five minutes in Snowpoint before he heard of the news of an attack on Fortree. Opening his PC boxed, he withdrew only three pokeballs, making his roster total five. He knew who was responsible, and was grateful he had not traveled to Celestic town. It had been incinerated only twenty minutes before his arrival in Snowpoint. Fortree was now being targeted for unknown reasons, and Ethan intended to discover why Giratina had been released into Hoenn.

* * *

A/N: Wow... so it's been a while since I updated. Chapter 2 was finished a couple of weeks ago, but I found myself not knowing how to go on from there. Here I had a couple of characters with no relationship, and very little information on either of them. So now that we have Ethan's model established, you can expect a lot of work on Angela.


	4. Scott

A/N: Well, this one took a bit longer, but progress is already being made on chapter 5. With this one I wanted to get some more dialogue going, but as always, I kept it short. Enjoy.

* * *

Ethan found that most people were willing to co-operate when you threatened what they valued. When lives were concerned, it became problematic, as once a life is taken it cannot be returned. Fortunately for Ethan, Scott had no love for other people, he cared only for his wealth. Ethan had taken the liberty of putting said wealth at risk of utter destruction, so negotiations were to go smoothly. Brute force would be a last resort. Ethan found himself outside a small hut in the cold wasteland just south of Snowpoint City. Scott was not likely to be found at his illustrious mansion near Eterna City. In fact, he had abandoned the mansion not two decades earlier when Ethan had gone looking for him. No, Scott was not an individual who wanted to be found. Fortree was still in one piece for the time-being, but with Giratina looming over the city, that was not likely to last very long.

Ethan was dressed in a black trench coat, a warm brown shirt underneath. The cold bit at him as he passed the last tree marker to the hidden home. As he approached the cabin, the door opened and a tall, round man emerged hurriedly. A smile crossed Ethan's lips.

"Scott, how lovely to see you again. It's been years now, hasn't it? I need information on the technology you've been developing. It seems to have something to do with what's going on in Fortree, and-" Before Ethan could finish, Scott had turned around, drew his pokeball from his belt, and released Regice.

"Now Scott, let's not be hasty. I don't want to take this one too."

"Stay the HELL away from me! I don't know what's going on, but by God I swear if you come any closer I'll have it explode on both of us!"

Scott was clearly not happy to see Ethan. To make matters a tad more complicated, Ethan was almost certain Scott was being truthful. The Regice wasn't likely his to begin with, making it all the more disposable. Scott had more taste than to use ancient soldiers as bodyguards.

"Scott, let's make this simple. The teleportation device you've been working on, I need it in the next ten minutes or you'll find any reserve funding you've been withholding will no longer be your's to withhold. Failing that, I can make this 'far' more unpleasant for you, and will do so if necessary. Understood?"

Scott's eyes shifter from Regice to Ethan, and back again.

"Team Galactic's made me an offer on that." Scott considered.

"What could they possibly have offered you?"

At that, Scott's eyes flared. He snapped his fingers and Regice began to glow a bright orange color. Ethan's hand snapped to his belt and drew his pokeball. Streaks of light and energy burst from Regice, engulfing the area in an explosion attack.

From behind Rhyperior, Ethan could not determine what had become of Scott. Regice had collapsed into a heap in front of the ruins of Scott's cabin. A near-total loss. Scott had mentioned Galactic, something Giovanni was sure to be able to help him with. Now Ethan could get somewhere. And more than that, he had a bargaining chip. He collected Regice into a Containment Ball and left on his Aerodactyl once again, his destination was Veridian City.

* * *

Angela awoke to darkness. She could feel Persian's soft fur against her stomach, the warmth of it's body, but she felt oddly cold.

"Verdan?" she called for her Sceptile. There was the sound of shuffling in the a corner, and then she felt the nuzzle of Verdan against her.

Something felt wrong.

"Power Gem, please." Her Persian's gem began to glow a deep red, illuminating the room.

Angela could see the entirety of the room from her bed, cast in the red glow of Persian's illumination. Even in the light though, she could see shadows and figures that moved in the light. Shapeless and erratic, they crept along walls and surfaces. There was a beastly cry from outside the window. A high-pitched wail, like a woman's cry, piercing the atmosphere. Verdan and Persian visibly shuddered.

"What's wrong guys?"

Persian let out a small cry to Angela, all of them completely unaware of the turmoil about to befall Hoenn

* * *

There we go, remember to review and comment. Muchos gracias for reading :)


	5. Giovanni

Giovanni, as far as megalomaniacs went, was as safe as they came. He would only kill out of self-interest, and even then, only if it was a profitable use of resources. Giovanni was a business man at heart, and as such, kept to his own strict code of ethics, which excluded killing without the potential of a profit. Ethan was safe knowing that he was both not of interest, and very difficult to eliminate.

The Veridian Gym was often closed when Giovanni left for elsewhere to continue expanding his so-called 'empire', which usually entailed the acquisition of rival groups. _Team Rocket_, as he had named his, was a fast-expanding venture capable of large-scale operations and infiltration. Of course, all the actual work was done by the pokemon, but as no single individual could carry more than six (as regulated by the league, which not even Giovanni would dare cross), he was forced to recruit and hire trainers from around the globe to use them for his own means. Peons, Grunts, and Tamers were all a source of cheap labor, expendable to an extreme, but their pokemon were not.

The Gym itself wasn't out of the ordinary. Most trainers were practitioners of some form of martial art or physical exertion. Of course, most of them were there for security purposes, so the enhanced physical capabilities didn't hurt. To top it all off, every single one of them were members of Giovanni's elite guard.

The elite guard weren't what worried Ethan though.

Giovanni had developed a super-Pokemon years ago, supposedly based off of a Mew sample found in the southern jungles just east of the Sevii islands. Ethan had almost seen a Mew himself in the area, but the League had almost caught up with him then, and he'd been forced to withdraw. Still, the super-Pokemon was of interest, and necessary to fend off Giratina. If Ethan was right_, Mewtwo_ would be necessary. It wasn't just a matter of using brute-force. Ethan's Gyarados and Salamence had all the force he needed, but Mewtwo had the dexterity necessary to cover whatever problems Giratina was bringing with it. Gyarados had shimmered earlier in anticipation of the dragon, and using it in battle with such a handicap would be problematic. His Salamence was undoubtedly reacting the same way. At this point, his only defense would be Gallade and Scizor, both of which would be more than enough to keep him safe in the gym.

_Still, it's a pain in the ass having more than half my team incapacitated..._ He thought to himself.

He entered the gym. The light from outside shone in and lit up the largely-empty space. The gym's floor was covered in dirt hills, holes in the earth from Dugtrio and other subterranean Pokemon littered the area. Ethan took a step forward, releasing his Gallade as a precaution as he moved into the gym.

He hadn't taken five paced before he heard a tremendous roar to his right. He turned just in time to see a Nidoking charge at him, it's horns seeping with poison. It collapsed inches from his feet, his Gallade sheathing it's arm-blades. Ethan smiled at his partner and turned to Giovanni, who now stood at the opposite end of the arena.

"You bastards just keep coming don't you?"

"Until I get what I want from you." Ethan answered curtly.

"I'm not giving up the Master Ball prototype. You can threaten all you like, but you won't dare touch me, and there's nothing you can threaten me with to make me give it up." Giovanni's eyes bore into Ethan's, furious.

"I need Mewtwo"

"I'll bet you do. You and every other 'master' who thinks they can just come in and take what they want", Giovanni smirked "Did you know the Champion himself came here just this past year, asking the same thing?"

"I don't want your creation to keep it chained and abuse it's power. I want to borrow it, then you can have it back." Ethan withdrew Gallade into it's pokeball. "There's a problem with one of your older prototypes. The limiter on the Ultra Ball models is eroding."

The Gym Leader said nothing. He looked to his left for a moment, and then Giovanni sat in a nearby chair, considering the gravity of what Ethan's news would imply.

"How many are already out?" He asked, slowly.

"As of now, only one. I would like to keep it that way, which is why Mewtwo is necessary."

"I don't have him, but I'll have my rockets escort you to the cave in which he's set up residence." Giovanni explained.

"And where is that?" Ethan asked.

"Cerulean Cave"


End file.
